Submit an Academic Petition or Appeal

Petition Letter: Dear Associate Dean,

I am appealing to drop POLS 262 and HIST 243 (Winter 2019). I am requesting this appeal as I have recently been struggling with mental health. As someone who has never struggled with such issues in the passed, when I found myself not able to leave bed and losing all motivation and interest for things I once enjoyed I was not informed on how to properly address these issues. I have tried many times to write this letter and call counsellors but I was quite frankly embarrassed. I did not want to reach out or admit to even myself that I was struggling. Simple daily tasks like eating or showering were daunting to me and days where I would even get out of bed where victories to me. The deterioration of my mental health directly effected my academic performance as it made me not able to function in school or in daily life. I did not understand why I had no motivation or interest in my studies when I was once so passionate about it. I found myself isolated and did not have the courage to reach out for help. I did not understand myself why I was feeling so sad or why I could not participate in everyday life so I did not know how I would it explain it to those around me. In addition to this, on march 15th I received news that a member of my extended family had suddenly passed. This news brought me much distress and drastically worsened my already deteriorating mental state. As a result, this caused me to lose all focus on my schoolwork. This event however pushed me to reach out to friends and family concerning my mental health struggles and they encouraged me to seek professional help. I booked an appointment with the counselling services on campus and will provide the documentation at that date. I am appealing to drop two specific courses because the state of my mental health and news of a family members passing caused me to be unable to complete the writing assignments required for these courses. I do not feel that my performance in these courses reflect who I am as a student but instead reflects my struggle with mental health and inability to reach out. To ensure my mental health does not effect my academic performance in the future I booked an appointment with a professional to be properly diagnosed and have the opportunity to discuss a treatment plan that will allow me to cope with my struggles and succeed academically. Additionally, I will reach out for support from friends and family when I feel I need help instead of further disconnecting myself from life and those around me as I now know struggling with mental health is not something I need to be embarrassed about. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best,
Sydney Rogerson